Jabra may not be as well known of a name brand as some of their competitors, but they’re definitely carving a name for themselves in the electronics market. They currently manufacture headsets, headphones, speakers and earbuds designed for both work and personal use.

If you’re in the market for a truly wireless headphone experience akin to the Apple AirPods, the Jabra Elite 65T is likely to draw your attention. These are one of the best competitors to the AirPods that we have come across in our research. Many similarly designed products fall short of Apple’s true wireless headphone design, mostly due to them being too difficult to operate or else equipped with poor connectivity features or bad battery life. These issues are not a problem at all with the Jabra Elite 65T, making them the best to compete against the AirPods currently on the market. But just how well do these truly hold up? Let’s take a deeper look into this product and see if they are truly all they’re cracked up to be.

-Doesn’t provide a secure fit during sweaty workouts-Audio cuts out at the gym -Short charging cable-May not work for all ear sizes and types-Not the best sound quality for the price tag

Activities

Activities

Similar to other water-resistant options on the market, the Jabra Elite 65T is resistant to sprays of water but they're not something you want to be wearing if you plan on jumping into any body of water. With a rating of IP55, these headphones will be protected from dust particles as well. Though there is a Sports version available, the ones we're reviewing today are not specifically made for sports use. Though we used these for our runs and gym routines without any issue. That said, some current users found that during especially sweaty workouts, the earbuds slipped right out of their ears. Others mentioned that using certain cardio equipment caused disruption between the buds, causing signal dropping. Our research suggests that Jabra is aware of this issue. Apparently, it is a small design flaw as the left earbud connects via a magnetic field to the right earbud which is used to sync the music. Large sized cardio equipment or areas where there is a strong magnetic field may cause the buds to disconnect and drop signal. This could most definitely be a deal breaker for some consumers so we felt it was worth mentioning. We can't comment on whether or not the Sports model addresses the signal dropping or not.

Basic Features

Basic Features

The Elite 65T features a unique four microphone technology that is perfect for users who take a lot of calls during their day-to-day. This tech provides a great amount of noise reduction so that you don’t miss any important aspects of your phone calls. These headphones are equipped with a small 6mm advanced speaker system that allows you to choose between blocking out or letting in the background noises around you. We loved that the headphones switch on the noise cancellation as soon as we receive a phone call. We believe this helps to improve the call quality by leaps and bounds. The sound when receiving calls is both clear and natural. If users choose to download the accompanying app, they are able to access settings that allow them to adjust both the bass and treble for their incoming calls as well as how much of their own voices they want to be able to hear during their phone calls.

Advanced Features

Advanced Features

Ever wish you had access to your favourite virtual voice assistant via your headphones? Wish granted! The Jabra Elite 65T connects with Alexa, Siri or Google Assistant and is able to answer all of your most urgent questions with ease. This is definitely not something everyone will find useful, but we loved this addition. We love not having to pull out our phones to Google anymore.

Users are able to connect two devices to the headphones simultaneously which comes in handy in a number of different situations. We found the transition between the two devices is quite seamless.

Sound Quality

Sound Quality

The Jabra Elite 65T features 6 mm x 5.1 mm drivers that are responsible for providing users with powerful sounding audio. The 20Hz – 20kHz frequency response provides faithful sound reproduction. We found these to provide an overall balanced sound with crisp and clear treble. The vocals in our music came through compete and the bass is adequate. Bass heads probably won’t be very impressed as the Elite 65T don’t really provide that thumping sound they so often look for. Audiophiles are likely to be less than impressed with the sound quality offered here but the average person will probably be satisfied. With such a high price tag, though, one would expect a bit of a better listening experience.
That said, a really great feature of these is that if you don’t like the sound that comes with the headphones straight from the factory, you can personalize the way you hear your audio through the Jabra Sound+ app. This app allows you to access a number of functions including choosing who your voice assistant will be (Siri, Google Assistant or Alexa), modifying how much ambient noise you want to hear (or block), custom your music profiles, keep an eye on the battery life of your headphones and more. The app provides access to a number of different equalizers presents such as bass and treble boost, smooth or energize.

Connectivity

Connectivity

One thing we loved about these headphones is their ability to keep you connected to the outside world. If you're listening to music and someone talks to you, removing one bud to hear what they have to say will pause your music or podcast for you. Once your conversation is over, popping the earbud back in will restart your audio where you left off. Another great feature is Jabra's HearThrough technology. This tech allows users to adjust exactly how much ambient noise they would like to allow in. Although some people may wonder why you would want to allow any ambient noise in at all, it all comes down to safety. When you allow background noise in, you're able to hear what's going on around you. This is especially important if you're using your headphones during your walks outside so you can hear traffic noises. Having access to Alexa, Siri or the Google Assistant is a nice touch in keeping you even more connected. This helps to simplify life for those of us with extremely busy schedules.

Comfort

Comfort

These headphones arrive in a box with three different sets of silicone ear tips so that users are able to choose the ones that work best for their ears. As comfortable as we found the Elite 65T, the design just won’t work for some people’s ears. This is quite common and is the case with a lot of in-ear headphone styles. We found that we could wear these for about three hours before we became aware of the buds in our ears. We love how physically unobtrusive these are, though. Some headphones styles are overly bulky and become extremely uncomfortable purely by design but this isn’t the case at all with the Elite 65T.

Style

Style

Unlike other gaudy-looking headphones on the market, the Elite 65T is a stylish option for the fashion-conscious. They don't stick out far from the user’s head and are without the awkward stems that the AirPods have. They are incredibly subtle looking and are available in three neutral color options - copper black, titanium black or gold beige. As with all other currently available truly wireless headphone options, the Elite 65T is made of plastic. While this isn't the most durable material available, it does make the headphones incredibly lightweight which is a huge benefit. They don't feel uncomfortable in your ears and definitely don't have that weighed down feeling that some headphones have.

Durability

Durability

Though their plastic build might be an instant turn-off for some people, it should be noted that the overall build quality of the Elite 65T is quite superb. The plastic feels as if it is made from premium materials and we haven't had any issues with our headphones that tell us otherwise. The product does come with a two-year warranty against water and dust damage that is easy to activate through the accompanying app.

Ease of Use

Ease of Use

As with many other similarly designed headphones, the Jabra Elite 65T do take some time getting used to them at first. There is a bit of a sweet spot when it comes to getting them in your ear just right, but once you've found the right fit, you will be set. Pairing is a quick, easy and painless process. It's simple to control the audio functions with a touch of a finger on either of the earbuds, especially once you are used to the controls and which button is located where.

Price

Price

With a $170 price tag, the Jabra Elite 65T isn’t the most affordable headphones on the market but the value is most definitely there. If you were to invest in a pair of Apple AirPods, you will be looking at spending an extra $50, most of which is probably due to the name brand associated with them. Comparing the Elite 65T and the AirPods side by side, you won’t see much of a difference when it comes to quality so if you’re in the market for a true wireless headphone, we would suggest these over the Apple product.

Power Source

Power Source

A great feature of the Elite 65T is that they come with a charging case. When you open the case to use your headphones, they'll be fully charged and ready to go. When you're done listening to your music, you can complete just pop the earbud back into the case and they'll be ready to use next time. This portable charging case is both useful and convenient. The battery life is around five hours of continuous use but with the extra juice from the charging case, the battery life can expand to around 15 hours. Running low on time and don't have the extra time to spare to charge these to full battery? Stick them on the charger for fifteen minutes and you'll have an extra 1.5 hours of battery life to enjoy!

Bottom Line

We loved the Jabra Elite 65T. The sound quality is great, the voice assistant integration is a fantastic and futuristic feature we loved and the clamshell portable charging case is a great accessory to have. The functions of the Jabra app are incredibly versatile and really allowed us to customize our listening experience on any given day. If we wanted to have more bass for our commute, we could do that within seconds with the app. If we wanted to cut back on the bass during our calls for work, a simple visit to the app was all that was needed to change that. The only real issue we came across was when we wanted to work out with these headphones in. We didn’t have an issue with them staying in our ears during our workouts but the interference from the gym equipment did cause us to lose signal a number of times. This is definitely something people may want to consider before purchasing this product, especially if they’re hoping to wear these for gym routines. These seem to be better suited for commuting, going for walks or for taking work calls.